[Automotive]

 

Headed over to the Regional Aviation Centre at the Subang Airport on 9 December 2014 for Volkswagen’s Das Event. The event served as a platform for the company to share its rich brand heritage, innovation and technological advancement, give guests a peek at their latest stable of vehicles, as well as to launch their child safety campaign.

Volkswagen showcased its fleet of wide-ranging vehicles in Malaysia to serve various customer demands. The company offers 15 models in Malaysia, out of which four (4) models are locally assembled. 

We got to see the latest executive sedan, the Passat B8 which premiered for the first time in Asia. The new Passat had its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show this year, new Passat is revitalized with new design, a new engine and new technologies – offering a new array of driver assistance, infotainment and comfort systems, cutting-edge innovation, connectivity, efficiency and safety.

Another interesting debut was the Golf GTE – the first plug-in hybrid that embeds the Golf GTI’s DNA. The Golf GTE is a fusion of sportiness and sustainability, and possesses the performance inherited from the Golf GTI. With fuel consumption of only 1.5L per 100 km and a range of 939 km in hybrid mode, the Golf GTE delivers a maximum speed of 222 km/h and 0-100 km/h acceleration at 7.6 seconds, and has the zero emission option on E-mode.. The car does not require any special infrastructure for charging and can be fully charged under 4 hours at any conventional socket.

The e-Up! – Volkswagen’s most advanced electric car with zero emissions, zero fuel consumption and zero noise, provides a strong torque performance of 210Nm and offers a continued cruise of up to 157km. The e-Up! is futuristically designed, environmentally friendly, and offers a glimpse of the future of urban vehicles.

Speaking at the event Mr Weiming Soh, President of Commercial Operations, Greater China / ASEAN said, “Volkswagen’s promise of ‘Always By Your Side’ also means a responsibility for tomorrow’s mobility. Our products are designed and built with an aim to meet tomorrow’s demands. They are more fuel-efficient, more powerful, provide greater driving pleasure, and are more comfortable to drive, that too with lesser emissions. Be it our award-winning TSI engines or our visionary electric vehicles, sustainable mobility is of prime importance to us.”

 

The TSI turbo charged direct injection petrol engine is the product of Volkswagen’s innovative engine technology and also a remarkable example of engine downsizing. The core competitiveness of the TSI engine is its exceptional torque, and it is a more efficient engine with less fuel consumption and higher performance. This allows Volkswagen owners to experience faster, smoother and more stable driving experience, while ensuring fuel economy and eco-friendliness. It improves fuel efficiency, and reduces emissions, and represents Volkswagen’s commitment to social responsibility and a cleaner, greener future.

Volkswagen will gradually change the engine labelling on vehicles sold in the Asian market into the all-new form of torque class plus engine technology. It is a new badging that features Torque to illustrate the performance of Volkswagen models. In Malaysia, the CC and Passat will be first two models to adopt engine labelling.

“In addition to horsepower, torque is a crucial factor that tells the car’s performance – high torque offers better acceleration, better performance, better drivability, more driving fun as well as a more convenient driving experience,” said Mr Armin Keller, Managing Director of Volkswagen Group Malaysia.

 

In line with its commitment to enhance ownership experience, Volkswagen introduces several initiatives for its Malaysian customers. Previously, the company introduced the Volkswagen Experts programme, Mobility Guarantee programme, and daily order and delivery of spare parts.

Resuming its efforts in service transformation, Volkswagen is also committed to implement five (5) more initiatives to provide a comprehensive coverage from sales to after sales:

• Investment in local talent– Knowledge transfer and training of 100 newly recruited local technicians.
• Establishing one state-of-the-art Technical Competence Centre facility in 2014 and two Technical Competence Centre in 2015 – This facility will provide the latest in all areas of training to further equip the technical staff with strong skill sets and expertise.
• Volkswagen Brand Store – Introducing the first “brand store” in the Malaysian automotive market that provides customers with a 360 degree unique experience on the brand and the products. It will also serve as a dealer training centre.
• Volkswagen Parts Centre – Opening of a parts centre in Malaysia to shorten delivery time and lead time of spare parts.
• Service Concierge – Responsible for delivering professional and expert concierge services to customers at selected dealerships
• Increasing investment in training and development of the sales and technical staff at all Volkswagen dealerships

In total, Volkswagen plans to invest more than RM20million in the next 3 years on training and recruitment of new staff and also on improving facilities/expanding existing ones.

“Malaysia is an important market for our business and as the brand progresses, our continued investment in improving our customer service will remain as a corner-stone of our activities; be it sales or aftersales. We have embarked on a journey to bring this change and these initiatives will help us earn the trust of our Malaysian customers,” said Mr Armin Keller added.

 

Together with DRB-HICOM, Volkswagen is focused on the next phase of growth in Malaysia. Since 2011, the company has introduced four (4) top selling, locally assembled models (Passat, Polo Sedan, Polo Hatchback, Jetta) in Malaysia. Volkswagen’s CKD operations have played an instrumental role in strengthening the company’s leadership position in Malaysia and contributed to creation of more job opportunities in the country.

“Malaysia is known for its stable economic growth with strong progress in key sectors, such as the automotive industry. This country has an excellent business environment, and Volkswagen, as a global player, wants to build on these strengths and continue to be a reliable business partner to Malaysia. Our developing presence and undertakings reaffirm our commitment to the market,” said Mr Armin Keller, Managing Director of Volkswagen Group Malaysia.

 

 

Volkswagen announced that it is joining forces with the Association of Registered Childcare Providers Malaysia (ARCPM) or Persatuan Pengasuh Berdaftar Malaysia (PPBM) to initiate a national campaign on Child Safety by rolling out a ‘child safety’ training module across 280 childcare centres nationwide. This campaign is aimed at raising awareness on the importance of keeping children safe whilst on the road. Through this campaign, the Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Trainers from PPBM’s network will train other operators of childcare centres to educate approximately 28,000 parents on the importance of using proper child car seats to curb injuries and losses.

“As a responsible automaker, we believe it is of utmost importance to educate people about the seriousness of this issue and help them take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of their children. We want to address the growing road mishaps involving children, and we are going beyond providing innovative safety features in our fleet of cars and embarking on our first national initiative on Child Safety,” said Mr Armin Keller, Managing Director of Volkswagen Group Malaysia.

“We strongly believe that this training module will inspire, mobilize and strengthen prevention measures and engage childcare centres as agents of change in their respective communities. This training will also empower and facilitate the childcare centre personnel’s role in creating ‘safety consciousness’ and uphold child protection,” added Mr Armin Keller.

Volkswagen Malaysia will also donate 200 Volkswagen child safety seats to PPBM to further support the ongoing effort in education and raising awareness on this issue.

According to the Road Safety Annual Report 2013 commissioned by International Traffic Safety Data and Analysis Group (IRTAD), Malaysia has one of the most dangerous roads in the world with recorded accidents of 23.8 deaths in a 100,000 population. Children are not spared from this situation and are considered a vulnerable category of passengers when it comes to road accidents.

Child seats are an effective and proven way to minimise injuries and deaths among children aged between 1 to 4 years, and all the way up to 8 years. It secures the child and distributes the force of the impact. This protects the child’s neck and spine from injuries, should an accident occur.

The social advocacy campaign is set to enlist the support of key opinion leaders and various other partners including experts and influential figures.

 

Here are the latest prices for Volkswagen vehicles in Malaysia as of 1 January 2015:

	Engine	Max Output (kW/PS)	Max Torque (Nm)	Trans- mission	Fuel Consumption (l/100km)	MSRP West Malaysia	MSRP East Malaysia
Polo	1.6 MPI	77/105	153	Auto 6	6.3	89,888	92,888
Polo Sedan	1.6 MPI	77/105	153	Auto 6	6.5	91,888	94,888
Jetta	1.4 TSI	118/160	240	DSG 7	6	134,888	137,888
Passat	1.8 TSI	118/160	250	DSG 7	7	173,888	176,888
Polo GTI 3door	1.4 TSI	132/180	250	DSG 7	5.9	154,888	157,888
Polo GTI 5door	1.4 TSI	132/180	250	DSG 7	5.9	157,888	160,888
Beetle Design	1.2 TSI	77/105	175	DSG 7	5.9	135,888	138,888
Beetle Design Luxury	1.2 TSI	77/105	175	DSG 7	5.9	141,888	144,888
Beetle Sport	1.2 TSI	77/105	175	DSG 7	5.9	140,888	143,888
Beetle Sport Luxury	1.2 TSI	77/105	175	DSG 7	5.9	146,888	149,888
Golf	1.4 TSI	103/140	250	DSG 7	5	163,888	166,888
Golf GTI Pure	2.0 TSI	162/220	350	DSG 6	6.4	217,888	220,888
Golf GTI Advanced	2.0 TSI	162/220	350	DSG 6	6.4	225,888	228,888
Golf GTI Adv 19″	2.0 TSI	162/220	350	DSG 6	6.4	228,888	231,888
Golf GTI Adv Tech Pack	2.0 TSI	162/220	350	DSG 6	6.4	235,888	238,888
Golf GTI Adv TP 19″	2.0 TSI	162/220	350	DSG 6	6.4	238,888	241,888
Golf R 3door	2.0 TSI	206/280	380	DSG 6	6.9	251,888	254,888
Golf R 5door Tech Pack	2.0 TSI	206/280	380	DSG 6	6.9	291,888	294,888
Scirocco	1.4 TSI	118/160	240	DSG 7	6.3	193,888	196,888
Scirocco R	2.0 TSI	188/255	330	DSG 6	8	289,888	292,888
Cross Touran	1.4 TSI	103/140	220	DSG 7	7.1	169,888	172,888
Tiguan 2WD Pure	1.4 TSI	118/160	240	DSG 6	7.1	178,888	181,888
Tiguan 2WD	1.4 TSI	118/160	240	DSG 6	7.1	188,888	191,888
Tiguan 4MOTION	2.0 TSI	155/210	280	DSG 7	8.6	239,888	242,888
Volkswagen CC	1.8 TSI	118/160	250	DSG 7	7.2	233,888	236,888
Volkswagen CC Sport	1.8 TSI	118/160	250	DSG 7	7.2	252,888	255,888
Sharan	2.0 TSI	147/200	280	DSG 6	8.5	278,888	281,888
Touareg	3.6 FSI	206/280	360	Auto 8	9.9	443,888	446,888
Touareg TDI	3.0 TDI	180/245	550	Auto 8	7.2	503,888	506,888

 

Prices and specifications are subject to change without prior notice. All prices in Malaysian Ringgit (MYR).
Prices excluding registration and inspection fees, road tax, number plate and insurance for Peninsular Malaysia. East Malaysia TMDC for all models and prices is MYR3,000.
The fuel consumption and emission figures have been determined in accordance with the measuring method stipulated ( Euro 5 regulation [EC] 715/2007 which is currently valid).
Note in accordance with the version of directive 1999/94/EC which is currently valid: the figures do not refer to a particular vehicle and do not constitute part of the offer but are purely for comparison purposes between the various types of vehicle. In addition to the fuel efficiency of a car, driving behaviour as well as other non-technical factors play a role in determining a car’s fuel consumption

 

More info at http://www.volkswagen.com.my/